Expectations for the Pittsburgh Pirates entering the 2025 MLB season were not as high as Paul Skenes and the fan base would have hoped they'd be. Yes, Pittsburgh's rotation looked awesome, but Bob Nutting's refusal to invest much money into the team's payroll left them with a very subpar lineup and an extremely shaky bullpen.
The Pirates had, at least on paper, an easy start to their season, even with those low expectations. They were slated to begin the 2025 campaign on the road against a Miami Marlins team that looked unrecognizable and could easily end the year with a worse record than the Chicago White Sox. But somehow, the Pirates wound up leaving Miami embarrassed.
Not only did the Pirates lose three of four in Miami, but those games showed that with a little bit more money spent by Nutting, this Pirates team might actually have been legitimate NL Central contenders this season.
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Pirates continue to be laughing stock thanks to Bob Nutting, David Bednar
Once upon a time, David Bednar was one of the most dominant relievers in the National League. He was an All-Star in 2022 and 2023, and even led the NL with 39 saves in that 2023 campaign. The 2024 campaign saw him struggle all year long, as evidenced by his 5.77 ERA in 62 appearances and seven blown saves in 30 attempts. He wound up getting bumped from the closer's role eventually.
Despite how poorly last season and this year's spring training went for Bednar, the right-hander was still handed the closer's role. He wound up losing Pittsburgh its first game of the year, allowing the Marlins to score the winning run without recording an out. He surrendered the winning run again on Sunday, although Endy Rodriguez's defense didn't help at all.
Derek Hill scores on a wild pitch, and the Marlins WALK IT OFF for the third time in four games to open the season!
— Marlins Radio Network (@MarlinsRadio) March 30, 2025
🎙️: @Jack_McMullen11 pic.twitter.com/urFHMP5GjX
The only external additions made to this Pirates bullpen were Caleb Ferguson, Justin Lawrence, and Tim Mayza — none of whom are high-leverage arms on a good team. Given that, Bednar remained the closer, and the Pirates are paying the price for not adding a reliable bullpen arm or two.
As if the bullpen isn't bad enough, Pittsburgh's offense is another area of clear weakness. The Pirates ranked 24th in runs scored last season, refused to add anyone of note over the winter, and wound up scoring a total of 14 runs in four games against a beaten-up Marlins pitching staff, averaging fewer than four runs per contest. Pittsburgh's rotation was as good as advertised, allowing just six runs in 22.1 innings of work, but their lackluster bullpen and lineup cost them what should've been, at the very least, a series win. The Pirates led in all four games, yet only won one of them.
The Pirates will always be in games thanks to their rotation, especially when Jared Jones makes his return from the Injured List, but how many games can this team truly win if they can't score very many runs and have trouble holding onto leads? Probably not enough to be serious postseason threats. That falls on Pittsburgh's front office to an extent, but Nutting's refusal to spend makes it virtually impossible for them to field enough of a well-rounded team.